How to Convert from Percents to Fractions

Converting percents to fractions is fairly straightforward. Remember that the word percent means out of 100. So changing percents to fractions naturally involves the number 100.

To convert a percent to a fraction, use the number in the percent as your numerator (top number) and the number 100 as your denominator (bottom number):

As always with fractions, you may need to reduce to lowest terms or convert an improper fraction to a mixed number.

In the three examples, 39/100 can’t be reduced or converted to a mixed number. However, 86/100 can be reduced because the numerator and denominator are both even numbers:

And 217/100 can be converted to a mixed number because the numerator (217) is greater than the denominator (100):

Once in a while, you may start out with a percentage that’s a decimal such as 99.9%. The rule is still the same, but now you have a decimal in the numerator (top number), which most people don’t like to see. To get rid of it, move the decimal point one place to the right in both the numerator and the denominator: